Nigeria’s Floods: Dealing with the Aftermath
By Fatima Idakwo
Barely a month into the third quarter of 2024, Nigeria experienced disastrous flooding in various parts of the country, with the most severely affected states being Borno, Zamfara, Sokoto, Niger, and Jigawa.
This natural disaster deteriorated the living conditions of thousands and led to the destruction of material resources. Borno State alone recorded over 200,000 individuals who were displaced from their homes. People in these states were left with limited access to essential places such as schools, marketplaces, and hospitals.
Central to the flooding was the health hazard posed to individuals living in affected states. According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), in Borno State, “fourteen health facilities were flooded.” When the very institutions responsible for catering to illnesses were experiencing downtime, the sustainability of people’s health became impeded. Regrettably, this became the reality for many living in areas overtaken by the flood.
The same article by WHO revealed that the organization had deployed several health professionals, including four mobile health teams, to local communities to provide treatment for minor ailments, immunizations, antenatal and postnatal care, as well as mental health services.
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In addition to the constraints facing healthcare facilities, the presence of flooding also increased the chances of contracting diseases such as cholera and malaria. Although the country has been battling these diseases for years, the flood only worsened the situation and set back efforts to eradicate them.
Similarly, there were reports that reptiles like crocodiles and snakes at the Maiduguri zoo had been pushed out of their cages to land areas, posing great risks to the lives of those living nearby.
In an effort to address the problem that befell the nation, international organizations like the European Union (EU) and WHO provided Nigeria with monetary and humanitarian aid. A few days ago, the European Union released €1.1 million to the country to help with issues surrounding the unavailability of food, clean water, and shelter. This act of goodwill by the EU extended beyond Nigeria to countries like Niger, Chad, and Benin Republic, which were also facing similar situations.
While these strategies helped provide some relief to those affected, they could only serve as temporary solutions. There is still a lot of work to be done, and the current administration must act swiftly to introduce more permanent solutions to prevent such events from recurring. The need to properly address this issue cannot be overemphasized, as failure to do so might mean that the country would continue to deal with the aftermath of the floods for years.
Given that the flood was exacerbated by the overflow of dams in some of the affected areas, like Borno, the government could consider redesigning the dams by building sub-basins to help channel rainwater to other places.
*Fatima Idakwo is an intern at PR Nigeria and can be reached via: [email protected].*
